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A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 801.95
EAN: 9780195160178
Edition: 5
ISBN: 0195160177
Label: Oxford University Press, USA
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 448
Publication Date: December 30, 2004
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Studio: Oxford University Press, USA
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Editorial Review:
Now in its fifth edition, A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature has become both a standard introduction to the close reading of literature and an invaluable resource for English graduate students. It offers students and other readers a variety of ways to interpret a piece of literature, ranging from historical/biographical and moral/philosophical approaches through the formalist, the psychological, the mythic and archetypal, and into such contemporary perspectives as feminist criticism and cultural studies. The book applies these diverse approaches to the same six classic works--"To His Coy Mistress," Hamlet, Huckleberry Finn, "Young Goodman Brown," "Everyday Use," and, new to this edition, Frankenstein--showing students how various methods offer different insights and enriching their response to and understanding of the individual works. The fifth edition is enhanced by the addition of Frankenstein, a complex work that lends itself to multiple levels of interpretation and is familiar in both its cinematic and literary forms. The coverage of Frankenstein incorporates material on popular culture--discussions of various fiction, stage, film, and television appearances of the work--as well as several photographs. This edition also features organizational and content changes that bring the volume up-to-date with contemporary literary criticism. Offering a valuable combination of theory and practice, A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature, Fifth Edition, is ideal for courses in literary criticism or theory and can also be used in introduction to literature courses.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Excellent and Thorough
I used an earlier edition of this book in an undergraduate class specifically about the criticism of literature. The class was structured such that, at each chapter, we would read it in addition to one poem, one short story, and one play. In class we discussed the given chapter and applied it to the example literature in the book. Then, we were on our own to apply the technique in an essay to one of the assigned readings.
That was in 1986. I decided to read the latest edition of the ... Read More
Rating: - Can't-live-without-guide to teaching literature
Dr. Guerin walked into the graduate classroom and placed his things on the table. Short and a bit blocky in stature, he also had hair the color of sea spray, white with darkened strands. After a few initial comments, he made this rather unusual statement:
"There's something to this idea of making contact with a book." He picked up the text, a huge tome of plays from around the world to demonstrate his point. "When you hold a book in your hands, you become intimate with it. Almost by ... Read More
Rating: - Handbook Review
This book is useful for an AP level English Literature class. It has excellent examples of the different approaches being used to analyze literature. It has help my preparation for my AP class immensely.
Rating:  - White rice on a white plate on a white table in a white room .... DULL
The book is surprisingly dull, devoid of color, and largely barren of graphics, tables, concrete examples, glossary of terms, etc. There is page after page after page ad nauseum of black and white ...mostly it is words, words, words. Its approach is completely unimaginative. It is like being served white rice on a white plate on a white table in a white room with a bare light bulb hanging overhead.
Although in its 5th edition, and published in 2005, it is colorless in every way, especially ... Read More
Rating:  - A Good Place To Begin
There are easy books that discuss critical literary theory and there are dense ones. A HANDBOOK OF CRITICAL APPROACHES TO LITERATURE falls under the 'easy' category. A barometer for distinguishing the two can often be found in how often the author uses the terms 'dialectic' and 'mythopoetic' within the same sentence. Fortunately for the novice, authors Guerin, Labor, Morgan, Reesman and Willingham have written a text clearly designed for those who will be taking their first undergraduate course in literary ... Read More
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